Beijing hits back at Britain over report on Hong Kong, calls it ‘a piece of waste paper’ that should be ‘swept into dustbin of history’

Beijing has hit back at Britain over a parliamentary report that raised concerns over rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, calling it “a piece of waste paper” that has slandered the rule of law and should be “swept into the dustbin of history”.

In a statement on Thursday night, Beijing’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong also urged London to stop interfering in the city’s internal issues by claiming it had a “so-called historical responsibility” under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, calling it “proof of the British colonial nostalgia and its obsession with political grandstanding”.

“Over the past quarter century, the legal basis for the governance of the Chinese government in [Hong Kong] is the Chinese constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” an office spokesman said, referring to the city’s mini-constitution.

“No matter how grandiose the report looks, it is nothing but a piece of waste paper … Enough with the political game of the UK already, the report should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago.”

The latest row was sparked by the release of Britain’s latest six-monthly parliamentary report on Hong Kong, which accused Beijing of failing to comply with the joint declaration – the agreement that paved the way for the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 – and suggested the national security law imposed by the central authorities had seeped into “all aspects” of life.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday said the city’s rights and freedoms had been sacrificed to “facilitate greater control by Beijing”. He accused Hong Kong authorities of trying to censor critics overseas by resorting to the security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.